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Chapter 87
The Male Lead Is Obsessed with Proposing
81. If Every Day Could Be Like Today
After sending Venerucia to another room, Senelia lay down on her bed.
Reflecting on her first experience of kicking him out—she realized—it wasn’t as hard as she had imagined.
In fact, when she thought that Venerucia was still in the townhouse and that Cliffed wouldn’t bother coming after her, she even rolled around on the bed a little.
Senelia knew why she could be so relaxed.
Even though she had impulsively turned her back on Venerucia and left the duke’s mansion, he had followed her, not in anger, but trying to soothe her.
Even if he had followed her outside the mansion, there was no way Venerucia would “cut her off” just because she had sent him to another room.
So Senelia felt at peace.
She got up from the bed, her body tired from the release of tension, but she didn’t want to spend the night doing nothing.
Instead, she headed to the sofa, which seemed less likely to make her sleepy than the bed, and picked up a book.
“I’ll just read a little before sleeping.”
As long as she wasn’t away from Cliffed, there was no true rest.
So she had to take time to do what she wanted while she could.
The only sound in Senelia’s room was the soft rustling of pages turning.
The book was a light novel that had been popular a few years ago.
And it made her smile.
A little peace like this—something others might call “trivial”—was exactly what Senelia longed for.
Hour after hour… the peaceful time passed quietly.
By the time she fell asleep on the sofa, only the final chapter of the book remained unread.
And only after her breathing had settled, the door slowly opened.
It was Venerucia.
“She could have slept in bed,” he thought.
Senelia had fallen asleep with the book resting on her lap.
Venerucia shook his head, as if resigned, and carefully lifted her in his arms.
Even on nights when he himself slept deeply, Senelia often stayed awake.
When Venerucia, drowsy, opened his eyes, she would let him know it was still night.
He was so cautious because he didn’t want to wake her, even moving without making a sound.
“She’s never seen me read before.”
After pulling the blanket over her just enough to keep her comfortable, Venerucia didn’t leave but sat quietly beside her.
For a swordmaster like him, hiding his presence was nothing.
In fact, even waiting outside Daphne’s townhouse had been easy for him.
If he had truly intended to protect Senelia without being noticed, neither she nor the townhouse staff would have known of his presence.
So concealing himself to avoid waking her was nothing for Venerucia.
“Well, Selly doesn’t really wander around the duke’s mansion anyway.”
Once he stepped into Senelia’s townhouse room, he understood.
She hadn’t touched her room in the Apron mansion either.
Except for the gifts he had given, it remained exactly as the head maid had arranged it for guests.
Since she hadn’t changed her own room’s interior, she certainly hadn’t touched any other part of the mansion.
She didn’t wander the mansion, nor did she change anything there.
For eight years, she hadn’t considered herself even as a guest in the Apron mansion.
A true guest would have at least requested something they needed.
“I really need to transfer the Apron mansion title to Selly.”
The thought strengthened Venerucia’s resolve even further.
Since Senelia had angrily sent him away to another room, he had stopped whatever he was going to do, keeping an eye on her mood.
If he acted without permission, he risked upsetting her again.
Even if he tried to do something good, it might not be the best for her.
Now he knew that, so caution was wise.
“…How can I make her feel that the mansion truly belongs to her?”
Venerucia rested his chin in his hands and gazed at the sleeping Senelia.
She was an extremely cautious person.
Simply transferring the title didn’t seem enough.
“Should I bring Lady Daphne here to the mansion…? Maybe if her mother is around, Selly will feel more at ease.”
Venerucia’s thoughts continued to spiral.
Honestly, suggesting Senelia’s mother come to the capital was partly selfish.
While it would ensure Lady Daphne’s safety, it would also prevent Senelia from leaving the estate immediately.
His desire to sell Daphne’s townhouse to remove her escape options was entirely sincere.
“Good thing you don’t know my true thoughts.”
Venerucia carefully brushed Senelia’s hair back.
He hoped she would never fully understand his heart.
If his timid lover tried to run away again, Venerucia would do whatever it took to hold onto his love.
When Senelia woke up, she immediately noticed Venerucia, still asleep, sitting upright with his arms crossed, like a knight.
Even this morning, he was showing off his dazzling beauty, as if proud of being the male lead.
In the sunlight, his blonde hair made him seem even less real.
“…Didn’t I tell you to go to another room yesterday?”
No matter how many years she had seen him, she couldn’t get used to his looks.
She sighed at a face so beautiful that she couldn’t even be angry.
But Venerucia didn’t stir, as if in a deep sleep.
“Duke, I know you’re awake.”
Such a trick wouldn’t fool Senelia.
The clock already pointed to 11 a.m.
Compared to her usual early morning wake-ups over eight years to train with him, this was hours later.
She was flustered by sleeping in so late, and there was no way he hadn’t woken up.
Senelia stared at him, as if to say she knew everything.
Eventually, he couldn’t resist and opened his eyes.
“…Good morning, Selly.”
Venerucia smiled, trying to smooth over the situation.
Perhaps because he had slept deeply for the first time in a long while, Senelia felt more refreshed than ever.
Her mood softened, and his smile didn’t seem irritating.
“Why are you here instead of back in your room?”
She remembered falling asleep reading last night.
Senelia was sensitive to sleep disturbances due to Cliffed.
The only person who could move her without waking her was, undoubtedly, Venerucia.
While she appreciated him moving her to the bed, she was concerned about him staying upright in the chair all night.
“I should have lain down beside me,” she said.
“You didn’t allow it. And yes, coming into the room without permission was wrong…”
Senelia lost her words again.
Every time she felt his love, she didn’t know how to respond.
She had only seen his back for eight years.
To her, his front was always for Lucalina.
Although she now sought him for herself, the mental adjustment was hard after eight years of believing otherwise.
At dawn, she had almost finished a book she started eight years ago.
And this morning, she had slept deeply for the first time in eight years.
Not once had Cliffed interrupted her.
All these facts exhilarated her.
The love she faced while in this high spirits felt incredibly sweet.
Finally, her anger melted away.
“…Next time, give me the gifts personally. I’ll give them to you personally too. I just thought you had your subordinates do it because it was bothersome for you.”
Senelia explained calmly.
To Venerucia, it looked like a small childish complaint, which made him happy.
Unable to contain his joy, he hugged her and nodded.
“Alright. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“Though it’s late for breakfast, let’s eat and return to the mansion.”
Senelia, still leaning on him, spoke softly.
It wasn’t “home,” nor the formal “duke’s mansion.”
He realized she had consciously chosen her words.
Though it was disappointing that she didn’t yet fully consider it home, she was incredibly lovable.
“Yes, let’s go back. To our home.”
Venerucia responded cheerfully.
One day, he would make her see the Apron mansion as her space.
But as soon as the two of them returned to the duke’s mansion, Venerucia’s expression immediately soured again.
